Spotlight interview
Interview with Andrea Aiolfi, Owner, Food Valley Travel & Leisure
Food Valley Travel & Leisure is based in the region of Emilia Romagna in northern Italy. Tell us what makes the region so unique and worth visiting?
Emilia Romagna is the piece of land wanted by God to allow men to build Ferrari. The Emiliano-Romagnoli are like this, if they have to make a car, they make you a Ferrari, a Maserati, and a Lamborghini. If they need to make a motorcycle, they build a Ducati. If they have to make cheese, they invent Parmigiano Reggiano. Let’s not forget the exceptional cured meat, Prosciutto di Parma and condiment, the Balsamic Vinegar.
We are a region in the heart of Italy, a strategic crossing point, as if you want to go from north to south and vice versa, you must go through here.
This region is not just distinct as a physical place, we have a special way of doing and seeing things. In most places, people meet and converse in their living rooms, in Emilia Romagna we do it in the kitchen!
For these reasons, at Food Valley Travel & Leisure we would love to let the world know more about us and discover our uniqueness.
Looking at 2022-23, which type of experiences are popular with your clients? Have you seen any new trends?
Food & Wine experiences are always the most requested experiences thanks to our typical regional products that are famous all over the world.
However, especially in these last 2 years, we have rediscovered the most hidden places of our territory for example the Apennines. Here we have met amazing “heroes” living on difficult land, keeping traditions and old crafts. We would like people from all the world to meet them, go deeper in discovery trips, go slow, see less but with better quality experiences. The aim is to create unforgettable memories.
Furthermore, we are promoting alternative accommodation like country houses and old manors where visitors are encouraged to stop a little longer than planned. In this way, we will try to convey the feeling of the real Italy.
Food Valley Travel & Leisure has been a member of ETOA for over a year now. Why did you join the association and what do you expect to get out of the membership?
In a moment where everything had almost completely stopped due to Covid, we felt a need to be part of a larger community, to share thoughts, to learn, and to understand how other colleagues were facing the situation.
In addition to that, we wanted to expand our network of B2B clients either through ETOA’s database of affiliates or through the interesting workshops that you organise. We look forward to those in-person coming back soon!
